Chapter 84 Shuckle and the Special Medicine

Chapter 84 Shuckle and the Special Medicine

"Mienfoo, use Hidden Force, Intercepting Fist," Ron called out, simultaneously striking a pose himself and punching a rock.

Mienfoo shouted loudly and punched the rock as well. Three seconds later, Ron shook his right hand vigorously, nearly in tears, "Ouch! It still didn't work!"

Mienfoo smiled slightly and respectfully bowed towards the rock. A sharp crack sounded, followed by a series of snapping noises, and the human-sized rock split into two halves.

"Ah, Ron, why are you competing against a Pokémon anyway?" Rosa waved a sandwich in her hand.

"Exactly. You cook so well; it would be a pity if you injured your hand," Ruby said, picking up another sandwich.

Ron rolled his eyes at them and explained, "If Pokémon and humans can achieve unity of body and mind, there's no need for verbal commands from trainers. Just a glance or a gesture would be enough to direct them, which would be very helpful in battles."

Mienfoo nodded, proudly waving its fists to show its strength. It was very satisfied with its current life. Its trainer was gentle, skilled in many areas, greatly improving its abilities. It enjoyed delicious food every day, had friendly companions, and seniors helping it grow. This was simply paradise for it.

"Hey, there's a hole under the rock. What's under there?" Rosa suddenly asked.

Ron turned around to look. Mienfoo moved the two rock pieces aside, revealing a very hard red shell with numerous holes, each hole outlined with white edges. However, two holes were plugged with wooden corks, which seemed unusual.

"It should be a Shuckle," Ron said. He checked with his Pokédex, confirming it was indeed a Shuckle.

Ron picked up the Shuckle and examined it closely. He pulled out one wooden cork, and a sweet fragrance immediately wafted out.

"It smells like fruit juice!" Ron said excitedly. Shuckle had a habit of fermenting berries inside its body to produce juice. He didn't expect to find a Shuckle here.

Ron took a sip from the Shuckle, feeling a sweet taste with a slight bitterness, similar to chocolate, which was quite pleasant.

"You guys should try it too. It tastes great!" Ron gave a thumbs-up to his companions.

"I don't think we should. This Shuckle has wooden corks; it probably belongs to someone," Rosa hesitated.

"It's fine; at worst, we'll pay them. This juice tastes really good," Ruby couldn't resist and took a sip.

Seeing this, Rosa didn't hesitate anymore. She took the Shuckle, drank a sip, and couldn't stop drinking.

"Hey! Save some for us!" Ron said, feeling a little heartache.

He originally thought it was just ordinary fruit juice, but soon, the system sent him a notification.

"Ding. Host consumed a special medicine. Muscle strengthening: Constitution +0.5, Strength +0.5."

Ron instantly became uneasy. After checking his body, he indeed felt the effects. He hadn't expected the juice fermented by Shuckle to have such effects. Seeing Rosa gulp down the juice eagerly, Ron felt his heart ache.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" someone suddenly shouted.

Ron and the others turned around and saw a chubby boy approaching them, accompanied by another Shuckle. Feeling embarrassed, Ron asked, "Is this your Shuckle? Sorry, its juice tasted really good, so we drank it. But we'll pay you for it."

"Oh, this Shuckle belongs to the old man," the chubby boy said. "My name is Chubby; some call me Brother Chubby or Fatty. This Shuckle wasn't fermenting juice; it was medicine made by the old man, which has magical effects."

"Pfft!" Ron nearly choked on his saliva. This guy's nickname sounded really awkward. But then again, this was the Pokémon world, and maybe no one knew that joke here.

"What?! It's medicine! We won't have problems after drinking it, right?" Rosa asked anxiously, putting down the now-empty Shuckle.

Wei took the Shuckle, smelled it, and said, "It's fine. This medicine strengthens Pokémon muscles, especially suitable for Fighting-type Pokémon. Humans can drink it too; it'll improve your physique slightly. Just don't drink too much—a little will enhance your constitution, but drinking a lot will cause issues."

"What kind of issues?" Rosa asked nervously. Ron and Ruby had only taken a sip, but she had gulped it all down.

"Nothing serious, just your figure might become more like mine. After all, it's high in sugar. Drinking too much can easily make you fat," Fatty casually said.

To a girl, however, this news was a devastating blow. Seeing Wei's figure, Rosa almost cried.

"Oh right, Fatty, you said this Shuckle belongs to your friend. He must have produced a lot of medicine, right? Could you introduce me to him? I'm Ron from Pallet Town, running a Pokémon daycare. These two are Ruby and Rosa."

"Huh?! You're Ron from Pallet Town?!" Fatty exclaimed in surprise.

"Is something wrong?" Ron was puzzled.

"My family runs a food business, and we've always wanted to reach out to you! Would you be interested in introducing our Pokémon food at your daycare? Don't worry; I can personally offer you a 30% discount," Fatty excitedly proposed.

"Uh… let's first check out the medicine. We can talk about the Pokémon food later," Ron wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Fatty nodded and led the three of them to a small house. Inside, a short and stout old man was pouring juice out of a Shuckle's shell into a pot over a stove, boiling it. After evaporation, the remaining crystals were formed into small pills.

Hearing noises, the old man looked back and said, "Fatty, you're back. Did you find Shuckle?"

"Hehe, Old Man, I've brought you business," Wei said cheerfully. "This is Ron from Pallet Town. He runs a famous daycare now. He wants to buy some medicine from you."

"Oh, is that so? I have plenty of medicine here; which kind do you want?" The old man asked. "I have medicines for restoring energy, strengthening muscles, boosting Flamethrower, Water Gun, Hydro Pump, and more."

"Boosting Flamethrower?" Rosa asked curiously. "What's that?"

"You don't know?" The old man explained, "Fire-type Pokémon have a fire sac inside their bodies to generate high temperatures, enabling various fire-based moves. My medicine targets the fire sac, strengthening its resilience and capacity, fundamentally enhancing the Pokémon's move power. Pokémon of other types follow a similar principle. By understanding their body structure, you can specifically adjust and strengthen their bodies, making them more powerful."

"Is it really that amazing?" Ruby was skeptical.

"We can just test it," Ron said confidently. He then released his Greninja and asked the old man for a pill that enhances water-type abilities.

After Greninja ate the pill, it went outside and fired a Water Gun at a nearby tree. Ron carefully observed the power and checked the system's data. He nodded in approval, "Although the effect isn't huge, it's definitely noticeable."

"Of course," the old man proudly said. "My medicines gently condition the Pokémon's body. Although you won't see immediate drastic effects, long-term use will undoubtedly show significant improvement. Just look at my family's Pokey. Pokey!"

At the old man's call, a Bellsprout walked out. Ron glanced at it and sucked in a sharp breath. This Bellsprout was only mid-grade in potential, but its base stats were comparable to—and even slightly exceeded—high-grade Pokémon.

"Old man, I'll take all your medicine," Ron said seriously. "From now on, I'll buy everything you produce. Set your price and send them directly to Pallet Town. Someone there will receive them."